Ming Capital, Xiang Prince Mansion.
A lavish spread of dishes had been laid out in the reception hall. It was clear that the mansion's master had put a great deal of thought into preparing the meal.
Sadly, not a single dish had been touched since it was made and brought to the table. By the time everything had gone cold, night had fully fallen outside.
The reception hall was terrifyingly silent. The servants on duty hardly dared breathe, afraid that the mansion's master, seated at the head of the table, might fly into a rage and take their innocent lives along with him.
Xu Tianran sat quietly in the seat of honor. After hearing the Imperial Guards' report, he merely nodded calmly to show that he understood. Not a trace of displeasure showed on his face.
But only those who knew him well understood that the more composed Xu Tianran appeared, the more fury was building within him. He wasn't losing his temper now only because he felt the time wasn't right.
After an unknown amount of time, he dismissed all the servants from the reception hall. At his command, everyone felt as though they had been granted a new lease on life. If they hadn't needed to mind their manners in the mansion, they would have run as fast as they could.
Once Xu Tianran was alone in the reception hall, he slowly rose and walked to the window. He gazed at the moon, which was only half visible in the night sky, his eyes flashing with a deep, inscrutable light as he murmured to himself:
"He's only just awakened his Martial Soul, and that old bastard Kong Deming is already willing to defy my wishes for his sake..."
"My dear little brother... Will you become my ally, or my enemy?"
"I hope I'm just overthinking things today. Twin Martial Souls, Innate Level 20 Soul Power—such extraordinary talent will surely make him a core fighting force of the Sun Moon Empire one day. If he's willing to assist me, I wouldn't even mind sharing the realm with him..."
"But that position can only be mine! No one can take it from me! My dear little brother... You're still too young. You can't handle that position. As long as you don't touch your big brother's scales, then the two of us can join forces. What need will we have to worry about our great cause failing?"
At that thought, a vicious glint flashed through Xu Tianran's eyes.
"If you really don't know what's good for you and dare covet a position that isn't yours, then don't blame your big brother for being ruthless."
"After all, that's how our father came to power..."
The moment the words "our father" left Xu Tianran's lips, the corners of his mouth curled upward of their own accord.
"He's already a pile of old bones, yet he still clings to that position, unwilling to pass it on. If that's how it is, then he can't blame his son for being ruthless. After all, given my big brother's temperament, if I lose the fight for that position, I'll be left without so much as a bone."
As he spoke, Xu Tianran suddenly gripped the wooden window frame. With only a slight squeeze, he crushed it into a handful of powder.
Just then, a figure clad head to toe in black robes suddenly appeared nearby and dropped to one knee.
"My lord, intelligence has arrived from the Heaven Dou Empire."
At that, Xu Tianran immediately regained his composure.
"Speak."
"My lord, to strengthen its ties with the Body Sect, the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family plans to arrange a betrothal between Princess Wei Na, who awakened Twin Martial Souls, and Long Aotian, the Body Sect's young sect master. The engagement ceremony will take place in half a month."
After hearing this, Xu Tianran narrowed his eyes and fell into thought.
When the black-clad man received no response from Xu Tianran, he didn't dare move. He could only remain kneeling where he was.
After about a quarter of an hour, Xu Tianran asked out of the blue:
"How old is that princess of the Heaven Dou Empire?"
As a professional intelligence agent, the black-clad man responded at once.
"My lord, she should be around nine."
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Xu Tianran casually gestured for him to leave, then began talking to himself again.
"Nine, huh... A little older, but it shouldn't make much difference..."
"Heh, my dear little brother, even though you snubbed your big brother today, I'm still willing to give you a gift. I hope that after you accept it, you'll go back to being as obedient as you used to be."
The imperial palace.
After absorbing his Second Soul Ring, Xu Tianming turned his attention to Ye Guyi.
The girl had eaten Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue just like him. On top of that, she had an Angel Martial Soul that had once been divine. Trying to absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as her First Soul Ring didn't seem like much of a problem.
But considering that she would be fighting by his side in the future, he absolutely couldn't hold back when it came to helping her now.
After all, the stronger she was, the greater the benefit to him.
Still, to make sure his help would work, he consulted Mavuika first.
"What? You want me to help this young girl bear some of the pressure from her Soul Ring?"
Xu Tianming's question seemed to surprise Mavuika, but after thinking it through, she quickly composed herself.
"I can do that, but if you want me to help her, you'll need to maintain close physical contact with her. Otherwise, my power won't be able to reach her body."
Xu Tianming was taken aback. Then he assumed Mavuika was joking with him.
"Helping this girl absorb a Soul Ring is a serious matter, Mavuika. Don't joke around."
Needing close contact to help her—however he looked at it, that seemed far too deliberate!
Seeing that Xu Tianming was serious, Mavuika dropped her teasing tone.
"Why would I joke about something like this? My power isn't strong enough for me to leave your Mental Sea of Consciousness for long. If you don't maintain close physical contact with this girl, how am I supposed to help her? Cheer her on with my mind?"
Hearing Mavuika put it that way, Xu Tianming thought it over. She did have a point, so he could only accept the reality of the situation.
Fortunately, Kong Deming had just left to find somewhere quiet to attempt a breakthrough. If an elder had been there, Xu Tianming would have been a little embarrassed.
After taking a deep breath, Xu Tianming looked at Ye Guyi seriously.
"After your body was tempered by the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue, you should be able to absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring without any pressure. If you have no objections, I can arrange for someone to take you hunting first thing tomorrow morning...
"But I happen to have a Soul Ring here that suits your Martial Soul's attributes. It's two thousand years old. If you're willing to try absorbing it, I can protect you and do everything in my power to help you refine it successfully. But anything can happen, and no one can guarantee there won't be an accident...
"So you have two choices. Will you play it safe and absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, or trust me and stake your life on surpassing a Soul Master's limit to absorb this two-thousand-year-old Soul Ring?"
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